our first snow of the season. how cold will

first these snow and now the refreeze. >> what does the weather look like? >> tonight's commute was bad but will tomorrow -- what will tomorrow be like? get ready to have your bag searched on metro. holiday shopping countdown. the deadlines in need to know to get your gifts in time. abc 7 news starts now. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- we are on storm watch yet again. our region got its first real accumulation of snow. and it was a tough commute. all lot of that snow out there

is likely to freeze again overnight. we have team coverage tonight. jay korff is live with more on the road conditions. let's begin with bob ryan on how cold it will get. >> many spots are into the tenns and single digits. this has been our coldest december in more than 10 years. look at the snowfall accumulations. these are many spots around town. around 1 inch or 1.5 inches. a little bit more down towards spotsylvania. generally 2-4 inches. this was our forecast last night. if this works out every storm, i may call it a day. but in the meantime, there is another frigid night. the refreeze is out there now.

all this snow is frozen and with a late sunrise tomorrow, it will be another slippery go on the side streets. there could be another storm coming our way. we are still under a wintery pattern. because of concerns about tomorrows commute here is a list of the closings for tomorrow. the majority are in virginia. they will all be closed tomorrow. fairfax county and manassas city will open two hours late. excel academy will be delayed one hour. we will keep the closings at the top of the screen. local airports are also seeing delays at reagan national. a spokesperson says they cancelled 15 flights due to depart from reagan. few delays have been reported at dulles.

crews have been working steadily to keep the runways clear. the federal government will be open tomorrow. employees are expected to report on time. formal operating procedures are in affect. there is no more snow in the forecast for the next day, but there is still plenty left on area roads. and it will refreeze. that could make for dangerous driving tomorrow. jay korff has live -- has more on that. >> there have been snowplows through this neighborhood in springfield, but there is shine on the road and a compact amount of snow that is adhering to the pavement. of course the concern is how slick willie's road speed in the morning? about everywhere you turn in northern virginia someone was working to make sure friday

morning would not be a frightful mess for commuters coping with these first snowfall. >> the trucks were lined up. >> they drive home was hard enough for this woman. >> we had difficulty coming home. we were sliding. >> with the main road sweat and slushy, refreezing was a concern. >> coming home was a little bit rough but hopefully it will be nice in the morning. >> work crews were retreating pavement and plowing. and residents were shoveling. so friday will not be as worrisome. >> we have an elementary school right up the street. kids come by in the morning. >> vdot has 700 trucks working in northern virginia at this hour but despite all of their

best efforts they will likely still be some slick spots in the morning. people in d.c. are also seeing icy conditions tonight. they will probably go into the morning. here is what the streets look like in northwest. salt trucks were out this evening. while many of the main roads are clear, there is still slush on the side streets. in bethesda, main streets are mostly clear. sidestreets have snow and ice. road crews spent last night spraying an area and continue assaulting during the rush hour. let me show you what folks in west virginia were dealing with. as snow and ice created major problems on the highways. at least half a dozen cars got stuck. drivers say they were frustrated

the roads were not treated. in charleston, a car and a truck slid off another highway and landed in a creek. this winter blast has also been deadly. the storm that began in the midwest is blamed for two dozen deaths. in atlanta, police responded to hundreds of crashes. schools were closed from missouri to tennessee. and one hospital has treated nearly 200 people for broken bones from slipping on the ice. for more on what we can expect for tomorrow, bob will be back in 11 minutes. we have some breaking news just getting to us from maryland. an amtrak train is stopped on the tracks in perryville. it has been stopped because a wire is down on the tracks. it was headed two delaware but

will be routed back to baltimore. we are following news from capitol hill where lawmakers have been busy tonight. in less than an hour the house will begin voting on the controversial tax cut compromise. it includes an extension of the bush tax cuts for all americans and an extension of unemployment benefits. some house democrats have threatened to change the bills, especially the estate tax, it looks like the measure will pass without changes. the senate passed the bill yesterday. senate democratic leaders have pulled a $1.3 trillion spending bill. it was supposed to continue funding of government. the money runs out on saturday. senate leaders say they will work together to produce a short-term funding bill to keep the government running into early next year. a major announcement for metro. police will begin randomly

searching bags. >> this comes in the wake of two terror plot threats. for more on these inspections we go to john gonzales in northwest. >> is subway system in new york city has been doing similar searches for years. officials believe it is time to do the same thing here. passengers will be asked to step aside and have their bags checked. this can happen at any of the metro stations or bus stops. it is hard to find a metro rider not carrying a bag or purse. >> laptop for work. >> i am a musician so i have music. >> in light of terror plots, metro is making a drastic change. >> anything that makes it safer is better. >> metro officials are sure it will only take a few minutes.

but some are skeptical. >> i don't think metro has their act together enough to pull it off without creating a huge back up. >> they will be checked for explosives and hazardous materials using special devices and bomb sniffing dogs. on a night like this when the student is headed to the airport, she worries about being delayed. >> having to stop -- >> it will be for rail and bus passengers. >> it is an added layer of protection. >> the checkpoints will be set up at metro stations. this man worries about profiling, but admits the security will make him feel safer. >> this is my personal belongings. but i think it keeps people safe. you have to look at that in this day and age. >> before inspections began, signs will be posted at the metro stations.

if he refused a search he will not be allowed to ride but will not be arrested or detained. still to come, new controversy surrounding michael vick. why he is upsetting animal rights groups again. >> talk show icon larry king hosted his final show tonight. we will show you his sendoff. >> the season for holiday shopping and shipping is starting to run out. i will tell you how you can

the holiday shopping countdown is on and the pressure is building if you have not bought all your gifts. >> if you don't act in the next few days there are some important guidelines you need to hear. >> that makes three of us. i am not done yet either. from black friday until christmas, maalot of us spend a lot of time looking online for the perfect gift.

the problem is time is running out to get those guest for the ones you love on time. -- to get those gifts./ >> i am heading up north on the 23rd so i have to get it done. >> free shipping ends at the stroke of midnight tonight for many places. the national retail federation says two-thirds of all christmas delivery deadlines will expire before saturday. >> it is a little overwhelming. i barely started and will probably finish this weekend. >> with a rough weather, 1600 retailers are participating in free shipping day on friday hoping to give the season a push. but after that, be prepared to pay. >> i would pay the shipping anyway. >> sometimes it is worth it to save time and the hassle. u.s.nta's helpers at the

postal service or already hard at work but have a strict deadline. >> monday will be the busiest day. that is the last day we can assure we can get things out. >> this person decided not to take any chances. he flew in from puerto rico to surprise his girlfriend. >> i was really excited. i did not expect him to be here. >> for those who shop early, the holiday season is a little less stressful. >> it is really nice to be frugal sometimes. i am done which is good. >> good for her. she can relax but the rest of us if you are willing to pay extra you can keep shopping until december 23. you should know even with express shipping your packages are not guaranteed to arrive on time. that is the latest. maybe some of us work better

under pressure. the eagles' quarterback michael vick says he wants to own a dog again. his comments are stirring up some controversy. he went to prison for his involvement in a dogfighting rain but he says he is a changed man. -- in a dogfighting ring. peta disagrees and says michael vick should never be allowed to own a dog. he grace the airways at cnn for 25 years but the curtain came down on "larry king live." many well-known stars paid tribute to king to bid him a fond farewell. he is 77 but will still be around. he will produce four specials a year. a new host takes over in january. for many brides to be a sit-

down with the future mother in law can be a nerve wracking experience. kate middleton went through that today. she had lunch with queen elizabeth and met 40 members of the royal family. kate seemed happy when she left. it appears she has nothing to be nervous about. >> maybe she was just happy she was leaving. this winter weather has been messy but impressive. check out this historic white house in ohio. it is on the mouth of lake erie. and it is completely encased in ice and snow. this is a working like house that uses solar lights. but they are having a tough time using -- doing their jobs through the ice. >> the lighthouse keeper is not happy inside that. >> you need to get some supplies. >> each winter when we get these storms -- these early winter

cold patterns. stay tuned. outside tonight and today -- now what is left of our snow is long gone we still have some clouds. they are breaking up a little bit. that is the reason there is a range of temperature. our temperature stayed below freezing. i mentioned how dry the area is in the crystals that formed or really fine. they formed an were so much that our total amount of snow was about 10 -1. let me show you what it was like early today. isn't this a great time lapse? there was the snow with the visibility going down. looking out towards washington. as we went through this afternoon it was only a few hours that cost the big problems. look at the temperature is right now. folks in frederick at 9 degrees.

we get some breaks in these clouds. frigid air around us. even those treated areas with the salt will be slippery tomorrow morning with the leftover snow. very slippery, especially the side streets. here is the pattern we have been under. here is the low pressure moving out but we still have the overall pattern we have had through december. another one may be forming as we get into the weekend. that is the one on saturday. look at the temperatures around the weast -- around the east. 59 degrees in new orleans. while there have been records out west, we remain under this chilly pattern. here is the cold on us. as we go through the next 24 hours whatever is left of that storminess moves off. the general area of high pressure on us tomorrow. down two hours south watch as we

get into the weekend. by saturday that could be forming off the coast. if that happens in comes close enough, there is a chance of another bout of snow for you folks to the eastern suburbs towards the eastern shore. tomorrow will be barely above freezing. at least the sunshine will be back. it will be really icy tomorrow morning. a lot of sunshine tomorrow, but temperatures still below average. at least the sun will help to melt some snow. there is that chance of another storm along the coast as we get into late saturday and sunday. you can always keep posted on the weather on tbd. >> so soon? >> why not?

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redskins. brian orakpo ready to head back to texas. mike shanahan sheds lights on the quarterback situation. the wizards take the show on the road.

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brought to you by your local toyota dealers, moving you forward. the reserves -- wizards travel to new jersey to try to snap their losing record, but john walsh did not play again. the wizards fell behind -- john wall did not play again. it was a five. game. all of a sudden in the fourth court -- it was a five point game. the game was tied at 75 but that was as close as they got. devon harris and the dunk. the nets beat the wizards. let's go to college basketball. american at northwestern. how about this shot? he was 9 for 14. he had three threes, and northwestern beats american. john with our play of the night.

the big story with the redskins has been the quarterback situation and who will start against dallas. shanahan does not expect any changes. >> if i knew something i would talk to them about it. you just hear it with the media and stuff like that. there is no difference this week than last week. there is nothing really to talk about. >> donovan is mcnabb. brian orakpo wants to focus on dallas. we all remember what happened here. these two clubs don't like each other. brian orakpo is from texas and he wants to win. >> this is a big game. dallas and washington, you can not -- you cannot get any bigger. it is all about tradition. and we don't want to go out there -- >> the national's continue to work on their roster. today they re-signed their right-handed her.

he posted consecutive 19 wins for the yankees in 2006. the nationals also completed a trade to oakland. josh willingham was sent to the oakland a's. in exchange. henry rodriguez and corey brown. maryland head coach james franklin is said to be the next head coach at vanderbilt. there has been a hang up in the contract. vanderbilt says they are not ready to announce a new coach yet. >> as long as he is getting paid to wait. [ female announcer ] safeway talks made-for-you meals.

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tomorrow. here in washington, about 20 but near 10 in the suburbs. coming out of the driveway be careful. the next storm maybe late saturday. we will keep you posted. >> that is i ♪ ♪ you can find your feet and you can find your way ♪

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